Yes; you DID read that correctly. Public speaking doesn’t have to involve a dry mouth and shaking knees and all the other symptoms of fear. In fact, as a speaker, you can have as much fun as the audience you are engaging with and here are three ways you can do it.

Firstly; props. Of course there are the obvious ones to help you, as the speaker.

A glass of water; take a sip when you need to and be relaxed about it.

Prompt cards; Write the main points of your talk on postcards, with one main point on each card. You’ll find that the content ‘flows’ more easily if you don’t have reams of dialogue to read through, but you still keep on track.

Then there are the props related to your talk; perhaps you could have some samples that can be passed round, or something your audience can look at. This will help to engage your audience without you feeling that all eyes are on you.

Secondly, be yourself. It’s one of the most effective ways to engage your audience. If you’re good at telling jokes, include a joke or two in your talk. If you’re not, leave the jokes to the comedians. If you notice people in the audience nodding in agreement, acknowledge it. Say something like, “I can see there are people who agree with me”. You’d be surprised at how your audience can respond when you actually include them.

Thirdly, but most importantly, RELAX! I realise that’s probably easier said than done but there are many methods of relaxing that are available to you. While you are giving your talk, there’s nothing wrong with creating a pause while you take a deep breath. It can actually help to grab the attention of your audience.

For some people, meditation beforehand helps to get them into the right frame of mind. Of course, hypnotherapy is an excellent way of helping with relaxation and actually helping you to enjoy public speaking. After all, you’re likely to be talking about something you’re interested in and maybe even passionate about, so there’s really no reason why you shouldn’t enjoy it. Hypnotherapy can help you to achieve a state of complete relaxation and focus on the joy of sharing your passion with your audience, rather than the fear of it